Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Preparing your Speech
• Part 2 of 3: Writing your speech
• Part 3 of 3: Improving your speech
• Tips

A lot of work and preparation goes into making a speech. When writing a speech about yourself, there are a number of factors to consider, including the audience, the purpose of the speech, and how long the speech should last. With good preparation, planning and editing, you can put together a speech that will showcase yourself in an effective and entertaining way.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Preparing your Speech

1. Make it clear what the purpose of your speech is. Do you want to explain why you started a metalworking course? Would you like to clarify your position in and history at the company at a seminar of your work? Before you put a letter on paper, you should have a clear idea of ​​what you want to achieve with this speech. Write the purpose of your speech at the top of the page.
2. Let your thoughts go into what else is important to add. If the talk is a general introduction to yourself, include things like where you are from, how you got into this group, what concerns and interests you, and what you hope to get out of this meeting or group. When it comes to a work-related speech, it is better to include things like your own qualifications and important skills; things, in other words, that boost your credibility and also make it clear why you are telling this story. Ultimately, of course, you decide which topics and ideas should be part of your speech.
   • A good way to organize your thoughts is through a mind map to make. You can do this with pen and paper, starting by writing the central idea in the middle of the page. Then draw lines to connect ideas and points that sprout from this central idea. For a speech about yourself, you could start with a central cloud containing "I". You could connect three or four clouds to that, which you call, for example, "interests", "ambitions", etc. The further the clouds fan out, the more specific the content becomes.
   • There are other ways to brainstorm that you might find useful. You could try the alphabet method, where you alphabetize things related to the topic of your speech, starting with A and so on.
   • Yet another brainstorming method is the three perspectives method. You think about the topic of your speech from three perspectives. First describe the topic; in this case you are yourself. Then follow the topic. Walk through your history, where you came from and where you went, and how you have changed over the course of the journey. Finally, map out the topic. Ask yourself who and what influenced you, and in what way. How do you fit into the bigger picture?
3. Tailor your content to your audience and your objective. First, determine who your audience is. It could be colleagues, classmates, a hobby group, etc. Ask yourself how big your audience will be, of what age and why the people got together. Then ask yourself what your audience is interested in. What is it you think people want to know about you? What information do they expect? Ask yourself these questions and then decide how the answers will end up in your speech.
   • It is good to think about different aspects of the audience as this also determines different aspects of your speech such as length, tone, etc.
   • For example, if you speak as a witness at a wedding, one will likely be interested in the relationship and history you have with the bride (egom). You don't want to let such a speech go on for too long, because the witness is not the center of attention on this occasion.

Part 2 of 3: Writing your speech

1. Look at the assignment again. Before you write anything down, you have to understand exactly what your assignment is. Review the guidelines for and purpose of the assignment. This will probably tell you how long the speech should be, what ideas should be discussed, etc. A two-minute speech, for example, should be written very differently from a ten-minute speech, so knowing what the purpose is will determine the rest of the writing process.
   • The main difference between a long and a short speech is the level of detail. A two-minute talk introducing yourself to a class has a short introduction, which may include only your opening line. The speech itself may only consist of one or two paragraphs, and the conclusion will likely not be more than a few sentences.
   • A ten to fifteen minute talk has an introduction, which itself consists of a beginning, middle and end, an opening line, an introduction to the main points and a summary of the main theme. The main section consists of four to six paragraphs, each of which contains explanations as well as examples of the main points. The conclusion is a longer summary and may include a few sentences that put the theme of the speech in a broader context.
2. Write an outline. Before you start writing the main body of the speech, make a draft. Using a word processor or pen and paper, write "Introduction", "Body" and "Conclusion". Then list the main points under each heading. You don't even have to write whole sentences here. Just briefly summarize everything that is meant to be said in each part of your speech.
   • Depending on the length of your speech, you may need to cut the main section into pieces, such as "Chapter 1", "Chapter 2", etc.
   • Speeches of two minutes and less have one or two main points, which you can probably include in a paragraph.
   • Speeches between two and five minutes should have two to three main points, each under their own heading in the main section.
   • Longer talks, in excess of five minutes, should include up to five main points, each under their own heading in the main section.
   • At this point you should start thinking about how you want to organize the content. For a speech about yourself, it makes sense to arrange the content chronologically, with each main point covering a particular period in your history, or by topic, with each main point related to you as a topic.
3. Plan your opening sentence. Depending on what your speech is for and who your audience is, you can start speech in different ways.
   • If it is a simple, short speech intended to introduce yourself to your class or group, start with a simple introduction with a short greeting, your name, and the purpose of the speech. Something like "Good morning everyone! My name is So-and-So and I would like to introduce myself to the group."
   • If this talk about yourself is for a more specific purpose than just introducing yourself, you could make the introduction a little more entertaining and interesting. You can start with a challenging question, a shocking fact, a joke or an image. For example, if your talk is about an interesting aspect of your life, such as an unusual profession, you could start with something like "Imagine waking up every morning to the sound of wild animals all around you."
4. Complete the introduction. The introduction should provide an impetus for what your speech is about. Summarize the main section and explain why you are giving this talk.
   • For example, if you are giving a short talk about yourself to your class, you could say something like, "I'll tell you a little about my past first and then I'll say something about my interests and ambitions. I'll close with my plans for the future."
5. Continue with the main part of your speech. The main part may consist of one or more paragraphs, depending on the purpose of your talk. If you are using multiple paragraphs, make sure that each paragraph has its own intro, body and conclusion. You should create a separate paragraph for each main part or idea in your speech. And these paragraphs should begin with an introductory sentence about the purpose of the paragraph, followed by the actual content and finally a summary of its importance to the speech as a whole.
   • For example, if you are giving an introductory talk to a school club, such as the photography club, you could start the main part with a paragraph about how to get interested in photography. The opening line could be something like "I got interested in photography early on, especially the ability to capture and preserve life's beautiful moments." The closing sentence could then be: "Since that moment, I've always been looking for more knowledge about what makes a photo right."
6. End with a strong conclusion. Don't think too long about this. The conclusion is simply a paragraph summarizing your entire speech. Summarize the main points of your talk and answer any questions in the introduction. Do this in such a way that you leave an impression. The conclusion should bring everything together and make the speech more universal.
   • For example, if your speech was about your interest in and experience with the film industry, you can connect your own ideas to the idea of ​​cinema on a grand scale. The conclusion should focus on the overarching importance of the topic of your speech.
   • If you only introduce yourself in your speech, you may be able to limit yourself to a less grand conclusion. The conclusion of an introductory speech should repeat and summarize the main parts of your speech and the main details you have shared.

Part 3 of 3: Improving your speech

1. Take inspiration from other speeches. Some people learn best when they have an example. You may find it helpful to look at examples of other talks as you begin your own talk. Search "examples of introductory speeches" to find examples of speeches about someone.
2. Edit your speech. Since speeches are heard and not read, checking the text for spelling and formatting errors isn't all that important, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't edit it. Read back your speech when you have finished writing. Highlight passages and words that you think could be better. Don't think of the first version as the last concept, but as a rough draft.
   • Read your speech out loud as well. This allows you to hear the rhythm of the speech and improve the "flow" of the speech. Snippets are fine, as long as you use them in moderation. Use active verbs instead of passive ones.
   • If you read the speech out loud to yourself, pay attention to sentences that are too long to be spoken nicely in the same breath. Divide these sentences into parts.
3. Include signposts. Speech signposts allow the audience to properly follow the speech and movement of your speech. They indicate when you move on to the next idea, where you are in the speech, at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end, and how two different ideas relate to each other.
   • As you go through a short list of ideas, numerical signposts such as "first", "second" and "third", or "first", "second" and "third" can be used.
   • Signposts indicating how two ideas are related include "further", "next to", "nevertheless", "though", "then" and "for example".
   • Important signposts tell the listener where you are in your speech. For example, the first paragraph often starts with something like "I'd like to start with ..." and the last paragraph often starts with something like "Summarizing ..."
4. Avoid clichés. At the end of your talk, don't say "In conclusion…" or "Thank you," just close. Don't start with something like “I want to talk to you today about…” Find a more interesting way to broach your topic. Overused phrases like these don't add anything to your speech.
   • What do you use instead of clichés? First ask yourself what a cliché phrase actually means, and then think about whether you can come up with a more interesting way to say the same thing or, as often, just leave it out.
   • For example, the phrase "In conclusion" means that you indicate that you are going to summarize all previously mentioned ideas. You can replace this with something like "So what does all this mean?" or "I've told a lot about myself. And this is why."
   • Often times, cliché phrases are nothing more than filler, adding nothing important to the speech. Just start saying like it is, instead of saying first, "Today I want to talk to you about ...".
5. Talk about yourself with modest confidence. Sometimes it feels unpleasant to talk about yourself. In order for your audience to be as interested and accepting as possible, you need to speak with modest confidence. Read your speech carefully, identify bits that may seem arrogant or self-embarrassing, and modify them so that they sound outspoken with modest confidence.
   • Avoid praising yourself too much. For example, saying that "everyone knows I'm the best player on the team ...", if you're awarded the captaincy prize in the presence of your entire team, probably won't land well.
   • If, for example, you are the best player on the team, you could instead modestly explain your achievements by saying something like, "I broke my personal record this season and I scored 12 goals. Although it's great to To set this record, I know I couldn't have done it without the hard work and help of my teammates. ”
   • If you're uncomfortable, it's okay to joke about it or acknowledge that you don't feel well talking about yourself. This makes it easier for the audience to put themselves in the shoes of you.
6. Find a friend or teacher who can help you. In addition to walking through the speech and making the necessary adjustments yourself, find someone who can read through and adjust the matter. It may be good to have a different pair of eyes look at the speech and look for places where things can be improved. It is likely that a friend, colleague, teacher or classmate will be able to see things you have missed yourself.

Tips

• Once your talk is done, make sure you practice enough to be comfortable.
• Do not stray from the subject of your speech.
• Make cards with catchwords, because these are enough if you have practiced enough and you only need a few words to know what you will say. Your speech will flow more smoothly and there is more room to improvise (if you can). Avoid reading directly from the ticket.
• Always make sure you memorize the first and last lines of your speech.
• Be special in your speech, put your finger on the difference.